Improvement in propellers



` compared with any other method now known or in use;

@W tant dimmi- ALFRED c. LOUD, or sAN FRANCISCO, CALIFGRNIA.

Lette/rs Patent No. 86,086, dated Ianuwry 19, 1869.

:innovar/:ENT 1N PROPEIQLERS.

'l'he Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ofthe same.

To all whom it mai/y concern Beit known that I, ALFRED C. LOUD, of SanFrancisco, in the county of San Francisco, and State of California, haveinvented a new and improved Method of Propelling Vessels; and I do.hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to makeand use the same', reference being had to the accompany'- This inventionrelates to a new and 'improved device for propelling vessels throughwater, whereby increasedspeed, as well as other advantages, areobtained, as

and

The invention consists in placing upon a revolving horizontal shaft twoor more disk-,'wheels, secured upon said sha-it at an angle varying fromaright angle about fifteen degrees, so that the 'inner faces of suchwheels or disks shall meet each other upon one side, and diverge fromeach other ou the other side, the said disks forming, when thus securedto the shaft, asin'gle wheel, which, in general outline, is in the formof" a Wedge, with angles more or less acute, as will be hereinafter morefully described.

In the accompanying plate of drawings- Figure 1 represents a sideelevation.

Figure 2 is a top view, showing the wheel placed upon the shaft,according to my invention.`

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding WNS! A representsthe shaft, and

B B, the wheel.

In this example of my invention, a pinion, O, and a gear-wheel, D, areshown, for imparting motion to the wheel, but I do not limit myself tothat or to any other particular method of applying the power.

The parts of the wheel B B are designed to be smooth on their inner andouter sides or faces, and eitherfattached to the shaft by a hub orcentre, with arms, as seen in the drawing, or they may be entire disks,with suitable centres or hubs. They may be made of either wood or metal,and as thin as consistent with strength and durability. In diameter theymay be aboutthe same asthe ordinary steamboat paddle-Wheel, so that theymay be attached to the common steamboat-shaft,

and be revolved in the ordinary wheel-houses.

The disks or parts B B are united together and fastened by boltsorrivets, or in any suitable manner, at the point where their inner sidesmeet, as seen at E, so that the disk-Wheels form a single wheel, placedon`each side of the boat, like ordinary paddle-wheels.

The diver-ging points E F of this Wheel are designed to' be in distanceapart about' equal to the length of the paddle-wheel buckets or floats.

The dotted lilies in the drawing indicate the position of the wheel whenit has 'made' half of 4a revolution.

G represents the Water-line, it being designed to sink the wheel alittle deeper in the water than the ordinary paddle-wheel.

From the lateral swaying of -the wheel, during its rotation, its actionon the water approaches nearly to that of the tail of a ishin itseffect, or to that of an oar, when used in sculling; it enters the wateras a wedge, and lifts no water in rising.

The propelling-force is exerted constantly during the revolution of thewheel, thereby'giving a steady and uniform motion to the boat, with animpetus greatly exceeding that imparted by the common paddle-Wheel,

from the applicationof a givenpower.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to make apropelling-wheel by placing upon a shaft, in an oppositely-inclinedposition, two`disks, and I therefore do not claim such broadly; but

What I do `claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters I'ateut, is-

The propelling-wheel, herein described, consisting of two or more disks,secured in an oppositely-inclined position upon -a shaft, so that theymeet at one point in their periphery, and are there united or joinedtogether by bolts, or otherwise, substantially as shown and described,for the purpose specified.

' ALFRED O. LOUD.

Witnesses:

FRANK BLooKLnY, ALEX. F. RoBERTs.

